Reflective Report 2020 | Abdul Sulaiman

A publication by Abdul Sulaiman

REFLECTIVE REPORT

ADABTABILITY ADABTABILITY

COMMENCE.

NETTO

DESK LAMP

Abdul Sulaiman

ABDUL SULAIMAN I am a Product Design student in my second year of university at Nottingham Trent. When it comes to design, my passion stems simply from curiosity. I’m an adaptive individual and where I become disadvantaged due to lack of knowledge, I challenge myself to gain a deeper understanding through experience and exploration.

Born in Dublin, raised in London (four years in Lagos, Nigeria), seven schools/ institutions, five part-time jobs to date; Adaptability therefore becomes almost innate, courtesy of these experiences which I am indeed grateful for.

Prior to Nottingham Trent University, graphic design was my main passion‌ and it still is. I simply chose to take on product design at university to challenge and further engage myself as a designer.

Post-graduation, this experience and newfound skillset will hopefully benefit my future career in either graphic or product design.

KITKAT ICE

Abdul Sulaiman

Product design has encouraged me to embrace a structured process when designing a product. With graphic design, I could start with research in one instance and in another, straight to conceptualisation and work backwards, this initially worked for me. Informed ideation, however, proves effective in producing better product outcomes. That is not to say I do not work backwards anymore, but I only do so in order to refine and tune areas in the process I see room for improvement.

The phase of the design process I find most enjoyable is Conceptualisation. Materialising ideation, bringing ideas from paper to life. Digital representation in this phase benefits me as I can use skills, I have previously adopted from graphic design to bring the idea to concept. This crossover between both product and graphic design provide me an opportunity to explore and criticise my design language. To see where specifically they cross over and how I can use one to inform the other, eventually developing my own style as a designer.

MY PROCESS

NETTO

sketchwork

Abdul Sulaiman

PAPA

The digital Performance Analyst

Abdul Sulaiman

Even though I haven’t adopted a specific design language or style, I find myself paying attention to ergonomics more recently. The latest project I worked on, was as part of a consultancy group who were tasked with designing three mobile devices for the year 2025. This project was driven by analysing growing technological trends and how human interaction with smart phones will influence their design in the future.

The PAPA concept was derivative of performance data tracking, with biometrics and biomechanical movement also being largely influential.

DEVELOPING PASSION

ERGONOMICS

PUMA VENTI sketchwork

Abdul Sulaiman

PUMA Venti was designed to sit perfectly aligned to the small of the back in order to keep racers comfortable whilst driving.

PUMA VENTI

Abdul Sulaiman

Ever since I’ve become a product designer, I find myself drawn to understanding how we interact with products physically in order to inspire innovation. A recent short project I submitted to PUMA encouraged me to gain a further understanding into how Formula One racers cope under hot conditions in the cockpit.

IN PERSPECTIVE

ADAPTIVE CULTURE The sporting world of Boxing and the film industry are examples of cultures that embrace adaptability in their own ways. These two industries inspire me on a daily basis as a designer. Even though it may seem quite obtuse, I believe there are inventions and inventors from both industries who adapt to bring their own adaptive style to their respective scenes.

Floyd Mayweather

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PHILLY SHELL The Philly Shell is a defence style that incorporates the user protecting themselves with one arm covering the abdomen and the other mainly closing off any advance to the head, with the body in a slightly leaning position making sure targets for the opposition are limited. Popularised by middleweight boxer, George Benton in the 1950s (FayzFitness), the unique style is an example of adapting to the process.

When boxers fight, there is no rule set in stone to box the same way, approaching a fight from a different angle, literally, can bring positive results.

When it comes to receiving a brief, I always try to approach it with attention to detail and precision, but I do also try to see how I can take it one step further.

How can I stretch this brief? Is there another angle I can come from?

An explorative approach, sometimes for the better and other times not. Similarly, a Philly Shell boxer can still be knocked down, every fight, brief, is different.

BEHIND THE CAMERA

Very few film directors nowadays have a unique style of approach. Names such as Scorsese, Tarantino and Bay will always hold their own style when it comes to the big screen, and so does British director, Guy Ritchie.

Known for works such as Snatch and Rocknrolla, the majority of Guy Ritchie’s films embed British culture into them providing other cultures worldwide an insight. His adaptive trait, however, comes from his distinct camera work. Guy Ritchie films are shot in a more dynamic fashion in comparison to anyone else in Hollywood.

Kinetic action shots specifically stand out

GUY RITCHIE

and represent as a Guy “Ritchie-esque” type of shot.

Innovative camera angles applied with precision to relevant film scenes, the way Guy Ritchie does, provides the user (cinema audience) a more immersive viewing experience. This is a trait I would like to incorporate more when it comes to my design work. Having the ability to adapt and being experimental with my approach to design needs to be more impactful, for the user, ergonomically, not just aesthetically.

- CONCLUDING THOUGHTS -

I think being an adaptive designer goes beyond being able to transfer skills and process between disciplines. I think it helps build wider understanding. With future trends like sustainability and inclusivity on the rise, I will need to be more adaptive, contextually aware, in order to further inform my process and consequently make more of an impact on prospective users with my designs.

NETTO DESK LAMP

- University Project, ABDUL SULAIMA

ABDUL SULAIMAN (Pictur

- Photo of me. Photographer, FRED O

KIT KAT ICE

- Live Project with KIT KAT, ABDUL SU

NETTO sketchwork

- University Project, ABDUL SULAIMA

PAPA The digital Performa

- Live Project with Matter, ABDUL SU

PUMA VENTI

- Personal Short Project, ABDUL SULA

PUMA VENTI sketchwork

- Personal Short Project, ABDUL SULA

FLOYD MAYWEATHER (Pic

- Webthethao.vn. (2020). Vì sao b n Mayweather. [online] Available at: h

GUY RITCHIE BTS (Picture)

- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvsho scenes-King-Arthur-snap.html

FAYZ FITNESS

- Watford Boxing Coach and Watfor Shell - Watford Boxing Coach and W fayzfitness.co.uk/the-history-of-the-p

REFERENCES

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OWEN, 2019

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n không th b t ch c tuy t k Philly Shell c a Floyd https://webthethao.vn/mma-boxing/vi-sao-ban-

e)

owbiz/article-4523780/David-Beckham-shares-

rd Boxing Club. (2020). The History of the Philly Watford Boxing Club. [online] Available at: https:// philly-shell/ [Accessed 27 Jan. 2020].

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